Preet Kaur Gill has pressed ministers on the contribution Birmingham's Health and Life Sciences District could make to employment, manufacturing investment and exports over the next five years.
In a written answer to the Birmingham Edgbaston MP, Science and Investment Minister Chris McDonald said the West Midlands is a key contributor to the Government's life sciences ambitions.
16,700 jobs in the region
"The West Midlands is a key contributor to this ambition with 16,700 people employed in the sector," McDonald said. "The region is also supporting UK growth and health outcomes, attracting investment of over £25 million into Birmingham through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund."
The Government's Life Sciences Sector Plan aims to make the UK the world's third-leading life sciences economy by 2035, behind only the United States and China.
Keeping Birmingham in the picture
The answer sets out the region's current jobs and investment position but does not give a five-year forecast for employment or exports. Gill's question keeps Birmingham's life sciences district in the debate about how national industrial strategy reaches the regions.
